Dr. Rodney Maiden, Assistant Professor in the Department of Counseling, Rehabilitation and Interpreter Training, was awarded the Troy University Montgomery Gamma Beta Phi’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Award on Monday during the campus’ spring commencement ceremony.

The award is presented each spring to an outstanding faculty member on the University’s Montgomery Campus by the chapter of Gamma Beta Phi, the national honors and service society. Maiden was presented with the award by chapter President Savannah Brock.

“Dr. Rodney Maiden epitomizes what we want to see from our professors in the College of Education,” said Dr. Kerry Palmer, Dean of TROY’s College of Education. “He is dedicated to both his discipline and student success. Dr. Maiden coaches his students to push beyond their perceived capabilities. This spirit of encouragement extends to his fellow faculty and administrators as he is continually offering kind words and gestures of support to those with whom he works. I congratulate Dr. Rodney Maiden on this achievement. He is truly a class act.”

Maiden said he was stunned to hear his name called during the presentation of the award.

“To receive this award is one of the most significant accomplishments of my academic career,” he said. “Aside from increasing their knowledge of the subject matter, I desire to help my students have a rewarding experience as they matriculate through their respective programs. I was pleasingly surprised to receive this award, and I will cherish it.”

Maiden joined the TROY faculty in 2016, and previously served as an adjunct professor at Texas Tech University, Assistant Professor and Program Director of Criminal Justice and Rehabilitation at the University of Wisconsin-Stout, and a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Iowa. He also previously served as a Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for both the Texas Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services and Louisiana Rehabilitation Services.

He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana Monroe, a Master of Public Administration from Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in Baton Rouge, a master’s in Vocational Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of North Texas and a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation and Counselor Education from the University of Iowa.